Judge Deals Blow to SCO in $5 Billion Linux Lawsuit (article)

newsfactor.com reports: "The holidays came early for devotees of the Linux operating system when a judge last week threw out the majority of claims brought against IBM by the SCO Group in its $5 billion intellectual property rights case."

This is hopefully the beginning of the end of this lawsuit. The judge dismissed 182 of SCO's original 294 claims. SCO failed to comply with repeat requests to hand over to IBM and the court with specific information about the lines of code that they claim were stolen.

AOL may offer free high-speed Internet (article)

Reuters reports: "Time Warner Inc.'s AOL unit may offer its full menu of services, including e-mail, free of charge to anyone with a high-speed Internet connection, The Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter."

In the late 1990's AOL was signing up millions and millions of people, in fact they could barely keep-up with the growth. Now they're losing hundreds of thousands every quarter. Their dial-up business is dieing. They're now trying to save themselves by offering their services for free, and supporting themselves through advertisements.

Classic Dr. Demento D and D Spoof (video)

Below is a excerpt from the video's description (with corrections): "We've all been there. You spend a week crafting a campaign, just to try to work some idiot through it while they fire off magic missiles 'at the darkness', some other jerk keeps changing his character's attributes and this weenie who eats all your snacks and Mountain Dew keeps hassling you for some virtual play in a virtual pub. ... This is machinima set to the classic Dr. Demento D and D spoof."

Wiring Like a Pro (article)

PC Magazine reports: "In a world of wireless this and wireless that, sometimes we all find ourselves begging for a little bit more - a little more reliability, a little more bandwidth, a little more speed, a little more security, and heck, even a little more free time to enjoy this world that offers so much more. In order to feed this technology crave, we need to go back to the basics and connect our dots with copper."

Unfortunately most audio/video electronics don't support wireless connections. This forces you to run wires behind furniture, along the baseboard, etc. If you want to have a professional looking installation, then you will want to have the wires run behind the walls.

If you're a DIYer looking for a good tutorial on how to properly run computer/video cables and what tools you need. Then checkout the following article.

Mach-Lorentz Thrusters (can you say impulse engines)

CNet reports: "Only time and money separate the current state of rocket propulsion science from the engine rooms of Star Trek's Starfleet, according to a university professor. ... James Woodward, a history professor at California State University in Fullerton, presented his research into Mach-Lorentz thrusters Wednesday at the Future in Review conference here. Mach-Lorentz thrusters (MLTs), assuming they can be scaled up from lab tests, could provide a new source of propulsion"

Mach-Lorentz Thrusters are based on the work of two men. Mach's principle which suggests that all particles in the universe have an effect on each other. Also Hendrik Lorentz work, who conducted research into the movement of charged particles in a magnetic field.

MIT research may spell end for the battery (article)

The Boston Globe reports: "Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology think they're on the verge of making traditional batteries obsolete. ... The researchers are working on a new device that uses carbon nanotubes to store and release electrical energy in a system that could carry as much power as today's lead or lithium batteries."

The really exciting news about these batteries is the fact that they can be charged really fast. They can also be charged ones of thousands of times before wearing out.

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: What You Need to Know (article)

PC Magazine reports: "the battle to replace the DVD has finally reached consumers. The consumer electronics industry is attempting to replace the millions of DVD players and DVD-ROM drives across the globe. The problem is it can't decide which format to replace them with: Blu-ray or HD DVD. ... Each format has its own heavyweight industry backing. HD DVD is supported by Toshiba, Intel, and Microsoft, which will offer an add-on HD DVD player to its Xbox 360 game console this fall. Blu-ray is supported by Samsung, Pioneer, and Sony, which will build a Blu-ray drive directly into its upcoming PlayStation 3 game system, also available this fall."

Also checkout the following articles:

• HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray Format Wars
• 10 Reasons Why High Definition DVD Formats Have Already Failed

New Type of Phishing (uses Voice Response Systems)

PC Magazine reports: "Websense Security Labs has reported a heretofore theoretical attack called "vishing," or voice phishing. The attack involves an actual phone number and a voice-response system (or is that "phoice-response system"?) to collect personal information."

I have to admit hate the new name that they're giving this type of attack (i.e.: 'vishing'), but I didn't create it. I think the new name is only going to confuse people about the subject more then they might be right now.

Its getting harder and harder these days to tell what's e-mail from a real business and what's a new type of phishing attack. As important as email is for some of us, the one thing that you have to remember is that 'e-mail is untrustworthy'.

To protect yourself, you should do the following:

• Don't download and run attachments in e-mail.
• Don't trust links or phone numbers provided in e-mails.
• Go to the site yourself rather then trusting a links in the e-mail, or call the company using a existing phone number that you trust.
  
• Don't rely solely on technology (spam filters, firewalls, anti-virus, etc.) because it can't protect you 100% of the time.

Data Brokers and Buyers Anger Congress (article)

Eweek reports: "Almost every piece of personal information that Americans try to keep secret - —including bank account statements, e-mail messages and telephone records - —is semi-public and available for sale."

Its scary how easy it is for anyone to obtain information about yourself, from bank account numbers, to your phone bill, and much more. All the person has to do is be willing to pay a few hundred dollars for the information.

Star Trek vs. Star Wars (video)

There are not a lot of good Star Trek parodies in my opinion, but this is one of the better ones. This video asks, 'what would happen if the starship Enterprise encountered the Death Star?' Watch the video to find out.




Also make sure to checkout my other post called the 'Best Star Wars Parody/Fan Films'.

PC Pitstop: Vista Readiness Center

PC Pitstop has recently released their new Windows Vista Readiness Center. Windows Vista is Microsoft's next generation operating system. The PC Pitstop readiness test quickly analyzes your computer to find out if its hardware meets Microsoft system requirements to run the new operating system.

Note: This site requires Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher in order to work because it uses ActiveX controls to check your computer.

'Transformers' Web Site Goes Live

The official web site for the upcoming 'Transformers' movie has recently come online. The site includes very little except a countdown timer showing how long until the premier of the first Transformers trailer on the 4th of July.

Check out the IMDB or Wikipedia for more information.

Mind Games (Color Test)

Here is a very simple game that puts both halves of your mind against each other. It displays the name of different colors, in a color other then the word. For example, red, blue, orange, etc. You have for seconds to correctly identify the word before you have to move on to the next one.

Have fun...

Search Engine Partnership Chart

Most people use Google for search, but there are several other smaller search engines out there competing for the crumbs from Google's table. A lot of these smaller search sites rely on results provided by larger search companies.

To see all the relationships between these companies, check out the following site. It shows all the relationships between these search engines.

Microsoft Rolls Out Robotics Dev Kit (article)

PC Magazine reports: "Robotics has captured the minds and imagination of those inside and outside the technology market, but as a market unto itself, robotics can barely get its act together. Microsoft today announced during Robo Trend Inc.'s RoboBusiness Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, a set of development tools that it believes can help unify this fractured market."

Read the article for all the details, or if you want to get more information on Microsoft Robotics Studio (MRS) check out this web site.

Lyrebird unbelievable Jungle Bird Mimics Bird and Human Sounds

The unbelievable Lyrebird jungle bird can mimic other birds and human noises (such as: car alarms, chainsaws, cameras shutters, etc.)

iDon't.com (Are you an iSheep)

I recently came across a site called iDon't.com, which is a site that mocks iPod owners. Then asks if iPod owners are sheep? The iDon't.com site is a really viral ad Web marketing campaign launched by SanDisk few weeks ago. SanDisk's is using the site to promote its Sansa flash drive player.

Personally I don't own an iPod, and I hope and pray I never do. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing technically or aesthetically wrong with the device. I am just not crazy about the cult following they have or the DRM (digital rights management) encoded music it uses. I know people who have spend thousands of dollars to download this DRM encoded music and load it on to these devices.

Personally, give me a legal copy of a CD any day. I prefer the format, its more portable from device to device then any DRM format. I can also play it in my home stereo, computer, car stereo, or portable CD player. Then 10 years from now, I will still be able to play it (granted that the media last that long, and its not all scratched up).

I also want to state I am not against DRM encoded media. As I have always said that I believe that an artist and their publisher has its right to protect their investment. But I as a consumer have the right to choose the format I want to access my media in.

Although If I am going to use a DRM-based media format, I will use the Windows Media format primarily because I believe its just as good as iTunes and its supported by several different devices.

Nissan Pivo (Prototype Car)

The Pivo is a new prototype car from Nissan that is possibly the most unique cars you have ever seen to date. The cabin can spin a 180 degrees so backing up is the thing of the past.

The car itself it kind of ugly (but beauty is in the eye of the beholder), but it has a lots of very advanced features.

Jet Turbine Powered Bike (video)

I don't believe I need to say anything other then, 'why would you do this'? (watch the video if you want to know what I mean)

Liquid Armor (article w/video)

ScienCentral News reports: "Flexible full-body protection that could save our troops' lives and limbs is at the top of the list for many researchers and technology companies. One such product could soon make its way to Iraq. As this ScienCentral News video explains, the secret ingredient is a liquid that could turn lightweight material into full-body armor."

The way this product works is it basically makes strong materials (such as Kevlar) even stronger when its comes to impact resistance. This is an amazing product, and its going to probably have several of commercial applications as soon as people discover it.

Virgin Galactic Updates on Plans For SpaceShipTwo (article)

Virgin Galactic has revealed plans to build SpaceShipTwo (SS2) that will be larger than the original SpaceShipOne. The new craft will carry 6 passengers and 2 pilots to an altitude of about 140km (about 87 miles) above the Earth.

SS2 will be carried into the air by a large aircraft, where it will then be dropped and then fire its new hybrid rocket motors. Passengers will be able experience 5 minutes of weightlessness. After that SS2 will then decelerates back to Earth through the atmosphere, where the passengers will experience about 7Gs of force.

Read the Universe Today article for more information.

The Dirty Secret of China's Economy (article)

BusinessWeek reports: "Yes, China is a remarkable growth story. But it is also fast becoming an ecological wasteland, home to world-class smog, acid rain, polluted rivers and lakes, and deforestation. Environmental problems play a role in the death of some 300,000 Chinese people each year, according to World Bank estimates."

China is an amazing economic growth story, but has the prosperity come at the cost of their people and the environment. The current population of China is about 1.3 billion people, with an increasing percentage of those people moving from poverty to prosperity. With that prosperity comes increased demand from the middle class for raw material, resources, etc...

Google Checkout (aka Gbuy) preparing to launch (article)

ZDNet.com reports: "Google Checkout — what the press calls GBuy — is getting closer to launch. Just minutes ago, checkout.google.com was given a CNAME record pointing to checkout.l.google.com which resolves to a ton of IP addresses. This probably means they have some pretty impressive load balancing going on and the product's uptime and performance is very important. "

SaveTheInternet.com (Net Neutrality, just say No)

The current hot political topic on the Internet these days seems to be the battle over 'Net Neutrality'. If you have not heard about it, its about Internet Service Providers (ISPs) wanting to control what content you access by setting up 'tiered service' to limit your ability to access different sites. They can do this by slowing down your connection to that site, or by blocking access to it all together.

You might ask why would the ISPs want to do this? Well, its about them trying to make more money by charging web site owners fees so that you can get fast access to their site. Its also about them setting up exclusive deals with sites, and giving them preferential treatment. So in theory the ISP can hinder or block your access to one site, so that you will go to a site that has an exclusive arrangement with that ISP.

A site called SaveTheInternet.com is trying to start a grass roots movement against 'tiered Internet service'. Their asking visitors to call or write their congressmen to stop the ISPs from implementing tiered service. Also, to support the cause, an all female rock group called 'The Broadband' has created a new single entitled, "God Save the Internet." (IMHO its a really good song.)

If you still don't understand Net Neutrality, the video below includes a dramatization that will hopefully make it a little clearer. If you understand Net Neutrality the video is still pretty funny to watch.

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Building the Ultimate Home entertainment System

Do you want to own your own home entertainment system, with an LCD projector, 100"+ screen and PVR (Personal Video Recorder), but think its too expensive? If you're willing to construct it yourself, I can point you to some resources that will help you build this equipment and save you thousands of dollars.

In the articles below you will find almost everything you need to know, to build your own low-cost home entertainment system with a video projector, screen, cables, and DVR.

Building the Projector:
To make the projector, check out the following site (Lumenlab). Here is a brief except from the site: "You can build an HDTV projector that rivals units costing many thousands of dollars! Our free builder guide will get you started and our user forums will give you the critical support you need. Imagine a 120" HDTV screen in your living room. You can use it for Power Point presentations, video games (PlayStation 2, Xbox), DVD movies, HDTV and more. Building it yourself means you control the quality and the cost. I should warn you though - this can become a very addictive hobby."

Building the Screen:
To make the screen check out the following article (Make a 100" Screen for under $100). Here is a brief except from the article: "As the price of entry level home theater projectors drops below $1,000, the price of professional quality projection screens has become increasingly objectionable for new home theater enthusiasts. Nobody who spends $1,000 for a projector is interested in spending another $500 to $1,500 for a screen. You can always use a white wall, but there is no frame, and walls usually have texture that shows up in the image. Not only that but the color of the white paint on the wall is rarely conducive to giving you good color balance."

Building the Cables:
This is a article and video podcast on how to make high quality A/V cables. Here is an except from the article: "Say goodbye to the bank-breaking audio/video cables at your local electronics superstore. Save your money and build out your home theater DIY style. With a total running time of 45 minutes, Kevin and Dan talk to a broadcast engineer to demonstrate how to make your own high end A/V cables for a fraction of the cost and a 'monster' savings."

Building the DVR:
This is a article and video podcast on how to make a MythTV system. Here is an except from the article, "Tired of shelling out hard earned cash to download the program listings of your DVR? Want to backup your videos but don't want to deal with the hassle of DRMed files? Kevin Rose & Dan Huard show you everything you need to know about the free and open source PVR alternative, MythTV."

You don't have a use MythTV for your PVR, there are several other alternatives out there such as Windows Media Center, and other software. There are also several other pre-built solutions that are available at most local electronics stores.

Running Wires
This is an article on how to make some basic cables and run them behind walls for new home entertainment system.

Robonova-1 Robot (video)

Robonova-1, is a humanoid robot for educators, students, and robotic hobbyists that is fully programmable. The robot can walk, run, do flips, turn cartwheels, dance, stand on one leg, lie down, pick itself back up, turn a flip, and do push-ups, and more. You program it with PC software that is included. Watch the video below to see it in action.

The robot is available two ways: as a kit, so you can build it yourself, or pre-assembled, also known as "RTW" or "ready to walk" for those looking for instant gratification.

Smart Dust used in Iraq?

Have you ever heard of 'Smart Dust'? Well, the military has had it in development for the last ten years. Basically its a miniaturized RFID like device about the size of a rice grain that can be used for tracking people.

The smart dust can be made to look like dirt, and can be placed on people's clothing. Each device has a unique id number assigned to it, that can be track by troops or aircraft when sent a special 'interrogation signal'.

Smart dust is believed to have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was also believed to have been used in the recent death of the al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi.

Iraqi Sandstorm (Video)

This is an amazing video of an Iraqi Sandstorm. I have to admit after watching this I have a new found respect for them. Its amazing how they look like they're not even moving until they're right on top of you.

Life as a Guy (video)

I hope you enjoy this video. The animation is crude, but its very funny...

Proposal to Implant Tracking Chips in Immigrants (article)

LiveScience reports "Scott Silverman, Chairman of the Board of VeriChip Corporation, has proposed implanting the company's RFID tracking tags in immigrant and guest workers. He made the statement on national television on May 16."

The VeriChip is a very small RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag about the size of a large grain of rice. This device can be injected directly into a person's body. It also has a special coating that helps it to bond to living tissue and not to move.

A special RFID reader broadcasts a signal into the antenna of the VeriChip. The chip uses the signal to draw its power to send back its data. This allows the VeriChip to operate without ever needing batteries.

Special forces to use strap-on 'Batwings' (article)

A German company called ESG has developed strap-on wings for use by special forces to fly into combat. The wings will allow a soldier to be dropped from an airplanes at high altitude, and soar for up to 120 miles in total silence and without being picked up by radar. Once the soldier is above the target, they deploy their parachute.

Here is a picture of the strap-on wing. To be honest it looks like something I saw from a G.I. Joe cartoon. I can't remember if G.I. Joe or Cobra was using it.

QuadSki: Its a Quadrunner and a Jet ski

The QuadSki is a jet ski that turns in to a quadrunner at the push of a button. Here is a video of it in action.

Its suppose to travel up to 50 miles-per-hour on land or water, and its powered by a 140-horsepower engine. On a full tank of gas is suppose to have a 372-mile range on land or two hours of boating on the water.

I really want one... Now all I have to do is see if anyone will give me it for free.

One Laptop Per Child First Public Demo

The One Laptop Per Child project recently demonstrated its first working laptop prototype at the Red Hat Summit. In the video below, Christopher Blizzard a member of Mozilla Corporation board demonstrated the device.

The ruggedized laptop will weigh about two pound, running Fedora Linux, with mesh networking built-in. Each unit will sell for about $130 to $140 to governments starting in April 2007.

Scientists ponder invisibility cloak (article)

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports: "WASHINGTON -- Imagine an invisibility cloak that works just like the one Harry Potter inherited from his father. Researchers in England and the United States think they know how to do that. They are laying out the blueprint and calling for help in developing the exotic materials needed to build a cloak."

The material technology required to make this cloak of invisibility sounds almost science fictionish, but the scientist believe that one day we will be able to create it. Basically the way it works is that light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation would strike the cloak and simply flow around it. To an onlooker it would appear as if they're seeing right through the cloak.

In August of 2003 Wired did an article called "Being Invisible" about a type of 'cloak of invisibility' but far less sophisticated then what is being talked about above. Here is excerpt from the article: "With recent advances in optics and computing, however, this elusive goal is no longer purely imaginary. Last spring, Susumu Tachi, an engineering professor at the University of Tokyo, demonstrated a crude invisibility cloak. Through the clever application of some dirt-cheap technology, the Japanese inventor has brought personal invisibility a step closer to reality." Here is a video to show you what I am talking about.

Best Star Wars Parody/Fan Films

Below are my picks for all-time best Star Wars parodies and fan films. When you watch the videos you will notice that they all vary in video quality from really good (i.e.: I.M.P.S.), to really bad (i.e.: Tie-Tanic). I also tried to find versions of these videos that use the Google Video service so their easier to view, but some of them were not available from there.

So here is my list:

• I.M.P.S.: The Relentless: IMHO, this is the best Star Wars fan film (ever). (Note: This file is about 200MB+ in size.)
  
• MTV Movie Awards 2005 Star Wars Parody: A hilarious and well edited Star Wars parody featuring Jimmy Fallon
• Troops: Hilarious take-off on Cops, using Storm Troopers.
• Ryan vs Dorkman: One of the best amateur lightsaber battles ever done in a fan film.
• Hardware Wars: The grand daddy of all Star Wars fan films. It was probably created in the late 70's, and its very cheesy but very funny.
• Tie-Tantic: A hysterical Titanic/Star Wars cross parody. (Note: The video quality of this file is really bad, but watchable.)

Honorable Mention

• Triumph vs. Star Wars Geeks: This is not a fan film or parody, but if you have not watched Triumph (the insulting comic dog) take on the Star Wars geeks then you're missing some great comedy. (Note: some content in this video is PG-13)
• Star Wars Kid: I almost hate to list this video because of its background story, but in many ways its really part of the of the Star Wars fan film/parody culture. (Note: There are several remixes of these videos available all over the Net.)
  

The truth about global warming - it's the Sun that's to blame (article)

The Telegraph reports: "Global warming has finally been explained: the Earth is getting hotter because the Sun is burning more brightly than at any time during the past 1,000 years, according to new research."

For years I have been saying the climate shifts that we have been seeing over the last few decades have not been caused by pollution like so many people believed. I have stated on more then one occasion that natural events can cause these shifts in the Earth's climate as well. I have even posted a few articles here of the last few months to make my point.

Although this story doesn't completely rule out green house gases as a possible contributor to the climate shifts we have been seeing in the last few decades. The primary culprit now appears to be an increase in brightness from the sun.

How The Da Vinci Code Doesn't Work (Article)

Have you seen the new Da Vinci Code movie or read the book? This publication has created a lot of controversy since it was first published, and to paraphrase and old quote, 'it has a lot of people's panties in a tight wad'. Personally I found the movie an enjoyable piece of fiction, but highly inaccurate from a facts point of view.

There are real facts in the movie, but they're tightly intertwined with a lot of fiction. So it hard to know where one begins and the other ends. Personally, I would not go around quoting facts from the movie.

HowStuffWorks.com did a great article on some of the many problems found with the movie facts vs. reality. Here is an except from the article: "Since its 2003 publication, "The Da Vinci Code" has caused quite a stir. Since its debut to glowing reviews, it has sold more than 40 million copies in at least 44 languages [ref]. In addition to being a bestseller, it's sparked a lot of controversy. It's a work of fiction, but it presents itself as based in fact, and many critics have raised questions about whether those facts are accurate."

Stan Meyer (Fraud or Genius)

I recently discovered information about a person named Stan Meyer who created a device called a Water Fuel Cell (WFC). There is a lot of controversy surrounding his invention and whether it really works as efficiently as he says or its just a fraud.

The WFC is suppose to convert just about any type of water into usable hydrogen. So instead of carrying a tank of this explosive gas, all you have to carry is water. The technology was suppose to be adaptable to conventional cars that we have today. This technology can go a long way to solving the problem with our dependency on foreign oil.

I also believe in theory, this technology could have a dark side. It could create water shortage problems in places like L.A. where they're barely meeting the demands now. This technology could also put a lot of people out of work in the oil industry, and cause the value of oil companies to plummet. Although, there would still be a demand for oil in other areas like plastics and other petroleum based products.

Where is Stan Meyer now?
Stan Meyer died in 90s, and its not totally clear to what happened with all of WFC technology. Did the knowledge of how it works die with Stan or is it stored away some place?

Additional alternative fuel information resources:

• Water Powered Car
• Ethanol explained (Article)
• Moving Beyond a Petroleum-Based Economy
• Cheaper Veggie Diesel May Change the Way We Drive (Article)
• Wired News: Biomass Adds to Ethanol Debate
• Ethanol Grows as Gas Alternative

New Heliodisplay M2i 3D Holographic Display

IO2Technology just released a new version of their Heliodisplay multimedia projector called the M2i. This new projector can support a display image up to 30-inch diagonal area with a 4:3 aspect ratio, 1280x1024 maximum resolution, up to 2200 lumens of brightness, and interactive cursor controls (i.e. virtual touchscreen).

Internet Help Desk (Video)

According to the video there are four basic essentials services in society: police, fire, ambulance, and Internet help desk. If you have ever worked at a help desk you might be able to really appreciate the humor. If you have ever called a help desk, then the secret is out.

First baby in Britain cancer-free

Have you ever see the movie Gattaca, one of the main premises of this movie is that most of the babies that are born are genetically screened for sickness, cancer, and disease. If a baby is found to have any genes that have the potential to cause any of these sicknesses they would be aborted. Babies that are born without this genetic screening process became known as 'God's children'.

This eventually lead to two classes of people in society. If you were born with the genetic screening, you got to be part of the elite. The God's children were only allowed to work menial jobs like: maids, garbage collectors, janitors, etc.

The TimesOnline has an article titled, "First baby in Britain designed cancer-free". Here is a brief excerpt from the article: "A woman is pregnant with Britain's first designer baby selected to prevent an inherited cancer ... Her decision to use controversial genetic-screening technology will ensure that she does not pass on to her child the hereditary form of eye cancer from which she suffers."

Human genetics is a very controversial technological subject. I believe one day it holds the possible promise of preventing and curing cancer and disease. The problem is the same technology can be used for more controversial matters, such as: human cloning, creating more deadly biological weapons, or creating designer children.

For a controversial technology to gain mainstream acceptance, it needs to be an answer to a major problem that everyone in society wants to see a solution found. Then after the ethical use of the technology has been accepted, it opens the door for its other uses.

Even if you want to ignore the ethical problems with the technology, the human genome is very complex and even with all out current knowledge we don't completely understand it. For example, our body's have safeguards built-in to the genetic systems that protect us against certain sicknesses and diseases. These systems are not perfect, but for the most part they work.

As a society we have achieved a lot of technological advancements in the last few decades and probably lots more to come in our future. Some of these advancement came at the cost of the environment, animals, and/or human lives.

By playing around with the human genome, we are playing with a very advance biological system which we don't totally understand. The human genome controls everything about how we are made. By turning on or off the wrong genes, we are potentially creating a life that could suffer a horrible fate in years or decades to come. We might not even be able to see the problems for several generations to come.

Unfortunately this is just the ways genetics work. So, like the nuclear genie that was released several decades ago when we exploded the first atomic bomb. Are we ready to release the genetic genie too?

Nintendo Wii launch details "announced" (video)

Microsoft's Xbox 360 was released late last year with a list price of $299 and $399 depending on the model you purchase. Sony's PlayStation 3 will be out later on this year or next year with a list price of $499 or $599 depending on the model. The Nintendo Wii (formerly known as the revolution) is expected to ship before the end of the year, and cost around $250.

I have seen very little real data or pictures on the Nintendo Wii, and its motion-sensor-controller. Now, CNet has a short video, showing the Wii and its controller in action at this year's E3.

Free Online Storage (for now)

ElephantDrive is providing an unlimited amount of online storage for free that you can access from anywhere at anytime. You can use this storage to store or share your photos, music, video, documents, and more. This service also uses military-grade encryption to protect your files.

ElephantDrive is currently beta, and that is why they're offering this free trial. Once the trial is over normal rates will apply...

Startup Pitches Free, Nationwide Wireless Broadband (Article)

PC Magazine reports: "Startup M2Z Networks on May 5 submitted a request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a license to a vacant 20-megahertz band in order to broadcast free high-speed broadband Internet across the country."

Its free 384Kbps of broadband bandwidth that is suppose to work around the country. But in order for M2Z Networks to do this, they want the FCC to grant the spectrum they need for free. And they will support themselves by displaying ads while you're surfing the Internet.

Top 10 Best Commercials of All Time

I saw a few commercials from Google on some site, and I decided I wanted to create my list of the top 10 best commercials of all time. I could not just leave it 10, so I added an honorable mention category. If you have you're own suggestions, please post a comment, I would enjoy reading them.

One note, some of these ads promote beer or show cruelty to animals. I don't promote either of these activities. As far as I know, no animals were hurt in the creation of these videos. So if you're offended by this stuff, please don't watch some of these videos.

1. Apple: 1984
2. EDS: Cat Herder
3. FedEx: Stick
4. John: West Salmon
   
5. Trunk Monkey (just one of a few)
6. Budweiser: Romantic Ride
7. Terry Tate: Office Linebacker (just one of a few)
8. Carlton: Big Ad
9. Honda Accord: Cog
   
10. U.S.S. Montana vs. the Lighthouse

Honorable Mention

• Hahn Beer: Bath Tub Dive (Warning: Not appropriate for the office)
• Burger King: Manthem
  
• Toyota: The Human Touch
• Molson Beer: I Am Canadian
• Nutrigrain: I Feel Grrreeeeeat!
  
• Xbox: Life is Short (Banned or not shown on public TV)
• Stunt City
• Why Men Don't Ask For Directions
  
• Warning: Animal lovers please don't watch these videos
• Ford: Sportka 1 (Banned or not shown on public TV)
• Ford: Sportka 2 (Banned or not shown on public TV)
• Nokia: Phone Video

Scanner playing Fur Elise

If you have ever owned a flatbed scanner, you may know they are not the quietest device ever created. Well someone took the time to get a scanner to play the Fur Elise. I am pretty impressed with it as a technical hack, because what they did would not be easy.

Watch the video if you want to see what I am talking about.

Take the BBC 'Senses Challenge'

This is a fun online test that can challenge your different senses (such as sight, hearing, etc.). I do need to warn you that some of these tests are a lot harder then you might think to get the correct perspective.

Water Powered Car...

Watch this newscast, and see how a guy created a water powered cutting torch that can cut metal but not burn you (its really hydrogen from the water + electricity) . He also converted a Ford Escort to use the same fuel source (right now its a hybrid that runs hydrogen + gas).

I have a few questions, is this technology as good as it looks or is there a catch to the technology. For example, does the cutting torch use so much electricity that its not practical. Or, can the car really run on water alone.

A Web Address for a Phone Number? Do .Tel

Do you know what a Top Level Domain name (TLD) is? If you don't you're in good company most people use it everyday, but they might not realize that they are. TLDs are the .COM, .ORG, .NET, etc. that we use everyday when we enter a domain name.

The ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), recently approved a new TLD called .TEL. According to eWeek here is how it is suppose to work: "The idea here is to use a Web address that ends in .tel as one would use a telephone number. Steering a Web browser towards www.hertz.tel, for example, would activate an Internet phone call to someone at Hertz."

Read the article for more information.

Happy Blu-Day! (Article)

Sony recently had an event where they were boosting the great benefits of their new VAIO notebooks with a built in Blu-Ray drives. They claimed the new notebooks was playing one of the first Blu-Ray movies, called 'The House of Flying Daggers'. Lance Ulanoff PC Magazine Reviews Editor opened the Blu-Ray drive, and discover that they were playing an older-style DVD instead of the Blu-Ray title. The whole event was captured in pictures.

BMW’s ‘CLEVER’ concept completed

LeftLane News.com reports "For the last few years, BMW and University of Bath have been hard at work on the CLEVER - a compact fuel-efficient vehicle for city driving. ... BMW on Friday released the first images of the completed CLEVER. As the name - Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport - suggests, the aim of the project was to create a vehicle that was practical, safe, and environmentally-friendly."

BMW was not the first to create a MWV (Man Wide Vehicles), one of the best ones I have seen is from a Dutch company. This MWV is called the Carver, its a tilting 3-wheel vehicle. In fact the Carver tilt up to 45 degrees to each side.

If you want to know more, watch this video from TopGear.

Secret Worlds: The Universe Within

From the web site: "View the Milky Way at 10 million light years from the Earth. Then move through space towards the Earth in successive orders of magnitude until you reach a tall oak tree just outside the buildings of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida. After that, begin to move from the actual size of a leaf into a microscopic world that reveals leaf cell walls, the cell nucleus, chromatin, DNA and finally, into the subatomic universe of electrons and protons."

This is a great Java-based animation that starts out millions of light year from Earth, and then zooms into quarks inside of a leaf. The whole trip takes about minute or more depending on your settings.

An Old Farmer's Advice

I really enjoy the advice below, there is a lot of truth in it no matter what you believe. (Note: I tried to find out who the author was to give credit, but I could not find that information.)

• Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
• Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
• Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
• A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
• Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
• Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
• Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
• Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
• You cannot unsay a cruel word.
• When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
• The best sermons are lived, not preached.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
• Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
• Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
• If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
• The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'
• Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
• If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
• Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God...

Congress may slap restrictions on SSN use (Article)

CNet reports: "WASHINGTON--Democratic and Republican politicians on Thursday both promised to enact new federal laws by the end of the year that would restrict some commercial uses of Social Security numbers, which are often implicated in identity fraud cases."

This law has been a long time in coming, and I wish they would have enacted it several years ago. Lets hope and pray this doesn't some how just die on the vine.

Some of the proposed legislation includes: limiting the sale and purchase of Social Security numbers (SSNs). Also restrict the display of SSNs on credit reports and other types of government-issued documents and identification tags.

PlayStation 3: $499, $599 versions hitting worldwide in November (Article)

CNET.com reports: "Sony kicked off the 2006 E3 show with a bang on Monday by providing pricing and configuration details on the PlayStation 3. The system will be available in $499 and $599 versions in North America on November 17. The main differences between the two versions as highlighted by Sony will be the size of the internal hard drive: 20GB on the less expensive PS3 vs. 60GB on the step-up model." Read the article for more information.

Google Press Day (New Stuff)

Google announced it was releasing four new products yesterday at its 'Press Day' conference in its Mountain View, CA headquarters (AKA GooglePlex).

• Google Trends: Allows you to monitor trend statistics of keywords and search terms by date and geographic location.
  
• Google Desktop (v.4): The next version of its Google desktop sidebar application, includes several new features and updated Gadgets (add-ins for Google Desktop).
  
• Google Co-Op: This one is a little strange, its not very intuative. Basically You subscribe to different data sources (i.e.: Digg.com, Fandango.com, etc.) and when you search you will see related information for the data sources you subscribed to.
• Google Notebook (will be available next week on the Google Labs page): Its a plug-in that allows you to store notes of text and other media types, such as: pictures, sounds and more.
  

Gone in 60 seconds--the high-tech version (Article)

CNET reports how new state-of-the-art vehicle anti-theft systems are able to be quickly defeated by a car thief with a laptop. IMHO, its really bothersome to see how quick some of these systems can be defeated. So if you have one of those expensive new cars with an RFID systems, make sure that you have your insurance premium all paid up.

HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray Format Wars

Depending on how old you are, you may remember the VHS vs. Betamax format wars. Between the two formats, Betamax had far superior picture quality, but VHS eventually won out. Not because it was better, but JVC was more liberal with its licensing, and the tapes met more of the customers needs (i.e.: like longer recording time).

The new HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray format wars, is just heating up. Personally I am putting my money on HD-DVD, not because its a superior technology to Blu-Ray. HD-DVD will win out because it will have better industry support, and its easier to produce the discs. Although, Blu-Ray has a few technical advantages over HD-DVD, mostly its higher capacity.

Ultimately what will win out is the one that is the most compatible with the existing equipment and media, and best price. When CDs and DVDs were first introduced, they provided such technical advantages over the existing technology at the time that people were willing to update their media collection.

Although, I don't believe HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray is compelling enough for me to want to replace all my movies with it. If I buy into this technology, I would be willing replaces some of my existing DVDs (for example Star Wars) with HD versions of the movie if the quality was that much better.

For more information on the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray, check out the following Wikipedia article. Here is an excerpt: There are many advantages to the fact that HD DVD discs will be the same size as current DVD discs. Backward compatibility will be available with all HD DVD players allowing consumers to only require a single player in their homes to play both HD DVD and DVD discs (also true with Blu-ray). DVD disc replication companies can continue using their current production equipment with only minor alterations when changing over to the format of HD DVD replication. Due to the structure of the single-lens optical head, both red and blue laser diodes can be used in smaller, more compact HD DVD players. Additionally there is a hybrid HD DVD which contains both DVD and HD DVD versions of the same movie on a single disc, providing smoother transition for the studios in terms of publishing the movies.

Rivals Agree On 802.11s Wireless Mesh Proposal (Article)

ExtremeTech reports "The Intel-and Firetide-led SEE Mesh, which had put forward a proposal to compete with Nortel's Wi-Mesh Alliance, resolved their differences and moved forward with a joint proposal that should be voted in as the draft standard for 802.11s, the IEEE mesh networking standard. ... A final standard might not be due until early 2008"

So are you confused by all 802.11 standards, such 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, etc. I have decided to include a brief breakdown of the different 802.11 standards:

• 802.11: up to 2Mbps, uses the 2.4GHz frequency (1997)
• 802.11b: up to 11Mbps, uses the 2.4GHz frequency (7/1999)
• 802.11a: up to 54Mbps, uses the 5GHz frequency (7/1999)
• 802.11g: up to 54Mbps, uses the 2.4GHz frequency (6/2003) [802.11b compatible]
• 802.11n: up to 600Mbps+, uses the 2.4Ghz and 5GHz frequency (2006) [has MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output), uses multiple transmitter and receiver antennas to allow for increased data throughput.]
• 802.11s: Mesh networking. A mesh network is a network of WAP (Wireless Access Points) that act like one big network. If one of the WAP fails, the other WAPs will automatically compensate for it. See the following article for more information.
  

Notes:

• 2.4GHz equipment can incur interference from microwave ovens, cordless phones, and other appliances using the same radio signaling frequency range.
• The higher frequency 5GHz equipment signals has more difficulty penetrating walls and other obstructions.
• The 802.11n standard has not yet been finalized, only a draft specification has been ratified as of January 2006.

Ethanol explained (Article)

USNews.com reports: "Most people know that it comes from crops and that it's been around for a while. But advertisements touting ethanol, sponsored by General Motors and others, leave out a lot of the basics. "

This article provides a brief introduction to the alternative fuel known as Ethanol. It's written like an FAQ (frequently asked questions), so it might provide answers to some basic questions that you might have about the fuel.

Here is some additional reference material, if the article doesn't answer your questions:

• Moving Beyond a Petroleum-Based Economy
• Wired News: Biomass Adds to Ethanol Debate
• Pig Manure Converted to Crude Oil
• Ethanol Grows as Gas Alternative

The Self-Assembling Chair (Video)

The self-assembling chair is a robot in the shape of you guessed it a chair. This chair can spontaneously fall apart and then literally reassemble itself. Conceived by Max Dean and built by Raffaello D'Andrea, the creators of "The Table: Childhood," another robotic art installation.

Ryan vs Dorkman (Google Video)

This video was originally pointed out to me by a fellow associate, when we got into a discussion of some of the Star Wars fan films. If you don't know what a fan film is, its generally a unauthorized, and very low budget recreation or parody of a movie created by fans.

One of the grand daddies of these films is the original Hardware Wars. IMHO after Hardware Wars, there have been a few great fan films, like:

• Troops (This is Star Wars meets the TV series cops)
• I.M.P.S. the Relentless (My personal all-time favorite)
• Ryan vs. Dorkman (My new favorite)

The Ryan vs. Dorkman video started out as a friendly rivalry between two effects artists on the TheForce.net, for the lightsaber choreography competition. I would say its one of the best amateur lightsaber battles ever done in a fan film.

Car can travel 157 miles per gallon of gasoline

IfEnergy reports : "Founded in 2000, this new company developed a light-weight passenger car with outstanding aerodynamics. The one, two combination of light weight and tunnel tested aerodynamics allow this car to travel 157 miles per gallon of gasoline or 1.5 l per 100km! "

Democrats lose House vote on Net neutrality (Article)

CNET News.com reports: "By a 34-22 vote, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee rejected a Democratic-backed Net neutrality amendment that also enjoyed support from Internet and software companies including Microsoft, Amazon.com and Google."

'Net neutrality' as it is being called I believe is a good idea. Basically it prevents ISPs from charging large Internet site providers an extra fee for getting access to customers like you and me.

Also, what I have heard discussed is that some ISPs are not making enough profit from the Internet connectivity that they're sell us. So they want to provide tier service depending on how much information you download off the net. Basically as I understand the more you download, the more you pay.


What I have heard discussed is that some ISPs are not making enough profit from the Internet connectivity that they're sell us, so they want to provided tier service. Which someways they already doing this today, by providing different service plans for different fees.

Wages Climb and Climb for Skilled Tech Workers

eWeek reports: "Hourly wages for highly skilled technology professionals notably increased in the first quarter of 2006, following record levels in the last quarter of 2005, according to the latest Yoh Index of Technology Wages released this morning."

Which Superhero are you? Quiz

Take this quiz to find out which superhero you are. According to the quiz I am the Green Lantern. Just answer the questions about yourself and press the Done button.

Drugs companies 'inventing diseases to boost their profits' - World - Times Online

Times Online reports: "PHARMACEUTICAL companies are systematically creating diseases in order to sell more of their products, turning healthy people into patients and placing many at risk of harm, a special edition of a leading medical journal claims today."

Make sure to read the article to get the whole story...

Another Useless USB Beverage Cooler/Heater

Here is my open letter to all companies that produce USB peripherals that change the temperature of liquids while being powered by the USB port on your computer.

Dear companies,

Please stop selling consumers products that can change the temperature of liquids that are being powered off the USB port. The power that the USB port can supply is very finite, about 5 volts. This power is meant to power keyboard, mice, etc.

I don't think the designers of the USB port ever intended it for heating or cooling beverages. There are much better ways of providing this functionality, such as an external power transformer that can be plugged into the wall.

Thank you for you consideration,
Jason

USAirways Parking Brake Set Landing (Pictures)

If you click the link you will see what happens if you have the parking break set during the landing of an airplane. It’s not pretty what happens to the landing gear, but it is believed that everyone on board is safe. Although, you have to give a lot credit to the plane manufacture for being able to design a plane that can survive this type of landing.

I was just hunting UFOs, says Pentagon hacker (Article)

Computerworld reports: "To the U.S., he is a seriously dangerous man who put the nation's security at risk by committing 'the biggest military computer hack of all time.'

But Briton Gary McKinnon says he's just an ordinary computer nerd who wanted to find out whether aliens and UFOs exist."

This is going to be a case worth watching. I doubt if the US government will show him any leniency with a defense like his. I have to admit I find the story very amusing, but I would not like to be in his shoes.

Put a PC in your Car (Video)

A few years ago I would have laughed at the idea of putting any PC into the car for a few reasons. One its a distraction if you try to use it while driving you may get into an accident. Two, technologies change too quickly, so if you buy a system from a car manufacture it will quickly be left behind. Three, there are no standards for hooking up all this equipment or upgrading it, plus everything needs to be retrofitted or customized.

CNET has a video from a car PC manufacture at the Maker Faire that has the first system that I have seen that seems to be going down the right path. In order for this technology to be successful, it has to have the following things:

• It needs to be useful features that people really want (i.e.: navigation, internet access, playing music and video, etc.).
• It needs to be affordable, otherwise no one will install one of these devices in their car because they can't justify the cost of it.
• It needs to be easy to use, otherwise if its too complex it will miss a major market segment that doesn't want overly complex technologies in their vehicles.
• It needs to be upgradeable and expandable, nobody wants to buy proprietary equipment or something that they can't enhance later.
• Its needs to have a flexible design to retrofit into cars that weren't designed to have a system like this.

Seagate Ships 750-GB Drives; Standalones Due Next Week

ExtremeTech reports: "Seagate Technology officially brought its perpendicular-recording technology into the desktop drive market, announcing shipments of its first 750-Gbyte Barracuda internal drive Wednesday. A complementary external 750-Gbyte drive will be released this coming Monday."

A 1 Terabyte (TB) drive is right around the corner. The one bad thing about hitting the TB mark, is any drives that come after it will probably be produced is much smaller increments, such as 1.1TB, 1.5TB, 2.0TB, etc. Although the jump from 1TB to 2TB is huge, and any incremental change after that.

If you're part of the crowd that is wondering what you would do with 1TB of storage. Thing of things like a media center, large hard drives are a godsend. If you run a system multiple OSs, large hard drives are a godsend. If you have a large database with tons of data, large hard drives are... (you should get the idea).

One thing I want to point out is that this drive uses perpendicular recording to store its data. Hard drives for the last 50 years have used longitudinal recording, this is where the magnetic grains that are used to store data are laid flat along the disk platter. This consumes a huge amount of surface space on the disk. Perpendicular recording, works on the skyscrapers principle, which means that more bits can be stored closer together by standing the magnetic grains vertically.

For more information on perpendicular recording, see the following article.

Top 10 Geek Comedies of All Time

As promised, here is the second list which includes my top 10 geek comedies of all time. Like my previous list, it was really hard to select what I considered the best comedies.

I know that there were some good ones that I left out, but that was only because I tried to keep the list down to 10 movies.

• Airplane
• Animal House
• Blazing Saddles
• Blue Brothers
  
• Dark Star
• Galaxy Quest
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• Office Space
• Space Balls
• Young Frankenstien

Like always, if you want to post your own list, addition, or comment, just click the link below to give your feedback...

Top 10 Geek Films of All Time

I hate to admit this, but I am a major movie fan. So I decided to create my own top 10 list of geek films of all-time. These are movies that just about every geek would love.

It was hard to narrow the list down to just 10 movies, there were several good choices that I had to omit. Whenever you create a list like this, some people will totally disagree with your choices, while others may totally agree with you.

I specifically chose not to put the movies into a numeric list because I could not decide which was the best and which was the worst. So I sorted them alphabetically instead.

• Fifth Element
  
• Indiana Jones (series)
• Kill Bill (series)
• Lord of The Rings (series)
• Matrix (series)
• Minority Report
  
• Star Wars (series)
• Terminator
• Tron
• War Games

You may have noticed that some comedies are missing from this list. This is because tomorrow I will publish my top 10 list of geek comedy films of all-time.

if you want to post your own list, addition, or comment, just click the link below to give your feedback...

High-Tech Employment Shows Promise (Article)

eWeek.com reports: "U.S. high-tech employment increased 1 percent in 2005, bringing the nationwide total to 5.6 million, with the greatest gains in the electronic manufacturing, software, and engineering and tech services segments, according to the Cyberstates 2006 report released April 18 by the American Electronics Association, a nationwide trade association representing the technology industry."

The more high tech jobs that there are the better. I say bring them on...

Horizontal Cooler Showdown (review)

If you build your own computers then you know that you have several types of CPU cooling options available. The most affordable and therefore the most common CPU cooling technology is the heatsinks and the fan. Although there are also some more exotic options available, such as liquid, and Peltier ('active') coolers.

ExtremeTech has done a great article on horizontal coolers. These are basically heatsinks and fans taken to its next logical level. Here is an except from the article that explains more, "Most factory CPU coolers blow downwards directly onto the CPU or heat spreader. Horizontal coolers elevate the heatsink radiator fins away from the base, directing airflow either toward the chassis exhaust point or channeled to help cool other motherboard components like the northbridge chipset, memory, or voltage regulators. Also, many of these coolers can be used without a fan. If you don't have a scorching hot CPU and don't plan to do much overclocking, some horizontal coolers can easily transform into silent passively-cooled solutions."

Anthology Solutions Yellow Machine P400T (review)

I am a big fan of network attached devices, such as NAS (Network Attach Storage), network attached printers, etc.. PC Magazine's just reviewed one of the coolest network devices I have ever seen. Its from a company called 'Anthology Solutions', and the device is called 'Yellow Machine P400T'.

What makes this device so cool is the that fact that it has so many great features. Although, some of the features may already be handled by other devices on your network (such as your broadband router).

Here is an except from the article, "Why buy and support a NAS device, router, firewall, switch, and Web server when your small business can get the same features in one toaster-size package -the Anthology Solutions Yellow Machine P400T? It supports RAID 0, 0+1, and 5 (the default), builds in 8 Ethernet ports, offers network services like DHCP, HTTP, and FTP, and is preloaded with excellent backup software- Retrospect Professional. I tested a P400T that came with four 250MB drives."

Free Old Time Radio Shows

Before video games, shopping malls, MTV, and the Internet, families used to sit in their living room each night to listen to radio shows such as Abbott and Costello, Superman, Groucho Marx, The Avenger, Gunsmoke, Sherlock Homes, and many others. RadioLovers.com offers hundreds of vintage radio shows for you to listen in MP3 format, all for free.

Download these shows an place them on your MP3 player, or rip them to CD for your grandparents. If you're really feeling nostalgic, copy them to a cassette, then give them to someone.

America's Secret Plan to Invade Canada (Article)

There is a site called 'Damn Interesting', that has posted an article called 'America's Secret Plan to Invade Canada'. Here is an excerpt from the article "At a length of 5,522 miles (8,891 kilometers), Canada and the United States share the longest non-militarized border in the world. Today we think of the two nations as the friendliest of neighbors, but at one time both nations had somewhat detailed plans for attacking one another... just in case."

I was not sure if this story was true, but I did some research, and several sources confirmed the authenticity of it. Below is a reference to another source confirming the story.

Raiding the Icebox
Behind Its Warm Front, the United States Made Cold Calculations to Subdue Canada
By Peter Carlson, Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 30, 2005; Page C01

Force Field Against RPGs (Video)

The Army has a new defense against RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) and tank rounds for its ground based vehicles. The technology is called 'Trophy' and works by detonating the explosive part of a projectile before it can damage the vehicle. The technology was developed by an Israeli company called Rafael.

Kanguru 64GB Flash Drive

Kanguru is now offering a 64GB USB 2.0 flash drive. The drive comes in a rugged aluminum housing that can withstand the rigors of transporting it around. Its slightly larger than a stick of gum, and it works under Windows, Mac and Linux OS without any additional device drivers.

The drive also comes with KanguruShield security software (currently only works under Windows) allows users to password protect their data. The software also allows users to resize and format the flash drive space into public and private partitions.

There IS a problem with global warming... it stopped in 1998 (Article)

The Telegraph reported "For many years now, human-caused climate change has been viewed as a large and urgent problem. In truth, however, the biggest part of the problem is neither environmental nor scientific, but a self-created political fiasco. Consider the simple fact, drawn from the official temperature records of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, that for the years 1998-2005 global average temperature did not increase (there was actually a slight decrease, though not at a rate that differs significantly from zero)."

I believe the concept of 'Global Warming' is often used by certain groups and individual to promote some type of political agenda. I will be the first to agree that the weather seemed unusually bazaar over the last few years. I will also agree that we should reduce or eliminate the use of any form of pollution.

The real truth could be that our world is going through a standard shift in its climate. There are also natural forces that can cause climate changes, such as erupting volcanoes (i.e.: the Tambora volcano in 1815 in Indonesia), large asteroids hitting the earth (i.e.: the 1908 Siberia Explosion), etc.

All I am trying to say, is that sometimes we have to think different and be different. There are times we need to be the sheep and go with the crowd, and there are times we need to be the dog herding the sheep.

Prius hits 113mpg (Article)

Auto Express reports: "The firm's (Toyota) next Prius will be so efficient it will be the first production car capable of returning more than 110mpg."

Finally a Prius, that I would consider buying. The first generation of this car, only got mediocre gas mileage. In fact there were a few gasoline only engines that had gas mileage that was comparable.

One of the major points that you need to consider when buying one of these vehicles, is they get their best mileage when driving in slow and stop and go traffic. On the open road where you're able to drive at a faster speed, the car uses the gasoline engine more to power the vehicle.

The current Prius owners have car hacks (i.e. modifications) available to them to extend the MPG of their vehicles. Some of these modification include plugging the car into your house power at night, others include firmware upgrades to the car. See the following Google result set for more information.

Researchers Find Average Desk Harbors 400 Times More Bacteria Than Average Toilet Seat

Market Wire News posted the following story (here is an excerpt): "Working late again? You’re not alone, according to a new study by University of Arizona germ guru Dr. Charles Gerba. You have plenty of bacteria keeping you company.

The study, the first of its kind to measure normal bacterial levels inside offices across America, found paper isn’t all that’s piling up on desks. In fact, the average desk harbors 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat."

This study is going to make a few people very nervous, especially the hypochondriacs of the world. I have a problem with studies like these, in the fact they create fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD).

Over the last few months I have read a few more stores like this, such as:

• "Student finds toilet water cleaner than ice at fast food restaurants" (The title of the article says it all, so I am not going to comment any further, read the article if you want to know more.)
• "Get in the know about the cost of your H2O": Here is an except from the article: "In a study published in 2000 in the Archives of Family Medicine, nearly a fourth of bottled water samples tested had higher levels of bacteria than Cleveland tap water. In fact, a lot of bottled water is tap water."

The fact is bacteria is part of our everyday lives, and most of its harmless or beneficial. Don't get me wrong, there is harmful bacteria out there, but thank God it doesn't exist in the same quantities as the other forms.

In never hurts to be clean, but the key is not to become a fanatic about it. There are some basic things that you can do to help reduce your exposure to bacteria and help protect you.

The main one is wash your hands after certain activities (such as handling raw meat, using the restroom, etc.). Another thing you can do is once a week clean your desk and other work surfaces with antibacterial wipes or similar product.

MIT group develops 'mind-reading' device (Article)

CNet News.com reports: "Three researchers at the MIT Media Lab have developed a device that 'reads minds' and alerts wearer's to the emotional state of the person they're conversing with."

The device is known as a Emotional Social Intelligence Prosthetic (ESIP), is based on an OQO handheld, a tiny wearable video camera, an earphone, and a small vibrating apparatus. The device doesn't read minds, but it does read and analyze the facial expressions and nonverbal cues of other people. The researchers are hoping their ESIP will help people with autism with their social interactions, because they'll be better able to interpret social cues.

Affordable In-Home LASIK Surgery You Can Do Yourself!

"In the past, LASIK surgery was an expensive procedure that could only be performed by skilled professionals in a doctor's office or eye clinic. Often costing upwards of $1000 per eye and almost never covered by insurance, Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) was beyond the reach of most Americans.

Now the revolutionary LASIK@Home system makes clear vision affordable for everyone."

If you have not already figured it out, this is a joke. I hope you enjoyed it.

Port25 - Microsoft Open Source Software Lab

Microsoft has launched a new site called 'Port 25', this site is designed to allow you to have a view into its 'Open Source Software Lab'. The name of the site comes from the TCP/IP port used to send SMTP mail (translation: its the network connection used to send e-mail)

The site was created to promote dialog between Microsoft engineers and the open source projects community. It primarily consists of blogs from the Microsoft staff, but it also allows visitors to post questions about MS and its open source interoperability.

Top 20 Strangest Gadgets and Accessories (Article)

TechEBlog has an article called, the 'Top 20 Strangest Gadgets and Accessories'. After reading it, I will have to admit the article seems appropriately named.

Here is a brief example of some of the items that are available:

20. The Talking Lips
19. Portable Cardboard Speakers
18. Talking Japanese Watches
17. The Baller Cheating Pen
...

Apple Boot Camp: Welcome, Windows XP Recruits

InformationWeek reports: "But while Apple is making it possible to run Windows XP on the Mac, it will be up to users to buy and install the Microsoft operating system themselves. ... Apple is making it possible to run a copy of Windows XP on an Intel-based Apple Macintosh. But most home and business users will have to buy more copies of Windows XP in order to do so."

My question like always, what does this mean for the future. The Macintosh is now the only computer I can think of that can run three OSes: the Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Linux.

Security Watch: Theft of trust - CNET reviews

CNET reports: "Botnets, the latest cyber-based criminal threat, are not just about stealing our identities or credit, some are after something even more precious: our online trust."

First we had viruses, worms, trojans, then spyware, identity thief, and then phishing. Now we have rootkits and botnets, oh what fun it is to surf the Internet. If you don't know what a botnet, check out the following article.

Wikipedia: List of the April Fools Jokes for 2006

Wikipedia has a big list of all of the popular April Fools jokes that have happened today. This list is constantly growing, so you might want to check it out a few times throughout the day.

Google Romance

Google Romance is a place where you can post all types of romantic information and, using our Soulmate Search™, get back search results that could, in theory, include the love of your life. Then we'll send you both on a Contextual Date™, which we'll pay for while delivering to you relevant ads that we and our advertising partners think will help produce the dating results you're looking for.

(If you have not yet figured it out, this is an April's fools joke...)

Swiss Spaghetti Harvest (Video)

Today we are going to set the way back machine to April 1, 1957, when the BBC broadcasted a report about a bumper spaghetti harvest in southern Switzerland (which was really an April's Fools joke if you have not guessed yet). After the show ran, the inquisitive public flooded the station with calls requesting tips on how to grow a spaghetti tree.

The video is definitely 1957 vintage, it is also small and hard to see but you will get the idea. This video also requires the RealPlayer to be installed to view it. I tried to find a higher quality source in another format but this is the best that I can find.

Anti-Phishing Utilities for Firefox

Below are some browser extensions for the Firefox browser that are designed to help you detect if a web site has been spoofed. A spoofed web site is a site designed to look like another web site (generally a popular site like: eBay, Citibank, etc...) to steal your personal information (such as your user account and password or credit card information).

This is generally known as a 'phishing attack', a very popular trick that criminals use. It generally starts out when you receive an official looking email from a popular company, and it requests that you update your account information because of some event (like a database was compromised).

This email generally contains a link to the spoofed company web site and asked you to enter your account information. This is where the criminal will capture your information, then possibly send you to the real site.

• ShowIP
  Displays the IP address of the current web page you're visiting in the browser's status bar (at the bottom of the window). It also allows you to perform searches for certain IP related information (just right-click the IP address in the status bar). For example, you can see who owns the IP address (WHOIS), or display information from Netcraft (which tracks information on these addresses), you can also copy the IP address to the clipboard if you need to.
• SpoofStick
  This extension helps detect if the web site your visiting may have been spoofed. Using large and brightly colored words in the toolbar.

Note: Criminals are always coming up with new ways to make their spoofed web sites look more realistic and harder to detect. These utilities are no replacement for common sense, so never trust emails from any company that offers a link to their site, go their directly yourself.

GetHuman.com

When most people call a company to get help, ask a question, etc. they want to reach a real live human quickly. Although most companies phone systems are designed to make it difficult to reach a real person.

To stem the tide a site called GetHuman.com publishes a list of 800 phone numbers (when available) of several mass-market consumer companies in the US, and the process you have to go through to reach a person.

Google Finance is Now Online

One of Google's mottos is 'Our goal is to build products that organize the world's information and make it accessible to our users.' With that in mind, Google's new Finance site is the latest tool in its arsenal of information resources.

From this site you can check out the latest finance news and stock prices. One of the cool features of the site that really makes it stand-out is the interactive stock graphs. Here is an example, using Google's own stock symbol.

Star Wars series to run and run (Article)

BBC reports: "The TV series spin-off of the Stars Wars film franchise will run to at least 100 episodes, according to producer Rick McCallum."

The series is suppose to cover the missing 20 years in Luke Skywalker's life growing up.

A 1972 documentary on ARPANET (Video)

On Google Video: "A 1972 documentary on ARPANET, the early internet. A very interesting look at the beginnings of what is now a huge part of most of our lives."

If you're a computer history buff, then you want to watch this video. It discusses how the ARPANET was designed and setup, by some of its original creators. The ARPANET was one of the original networks which the modern Internet was developed from.

Microsoft sets Apple straight on security (Article)

The Register reports: "...a member of Microsoft's security team has blasted Apple for failing to coordinate its security efforts and to issue proper security advice.

Stephen Toulouse, communications manager for Microsoft's security response team, has blogged that Apple needs a "security czar" to batten down the hatches...."

I believe Microsoft is correct in warning Apple, they need to better coordinate their security efforts both internally and externally. The problem is that Apple and their users think they have the best and most secure OS ever created.

As I said before in my blog, I like the Apple OS X and I think it is the best OS Apple has ever produced. Although, even the builders of Titanic thought they built an unsinkable ship.

For more information, here is another post I have made on the subject.

Russian Scientist Blames Global Warming on Tunguska Meteorite (Article)

MOSNEWS.COM reports: "A new theory to explain global warming was revealed at a meeting at the UK University of Leicester. The controversial theory has nothing to do with burning fossil fuels and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels but blames the warming on the Tunguska Event of 1908 that happened in a remote part of Siberia, the Science Blog reported Wednesday. "